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The Themes Of Symbols In Powder By Tobias Wolff

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Powder by Tobias Wolff Tobias Wolff’s, “Powder,” is about a father that attempts to win back his family by taking his son Tobias on a ski trip. The audience can relate to this if they have ever had any family issues, which many would likely have. In the story, the father risks driving his family through the snow and ice to go skiing with them. This is symbolic to represent the dedication he feels towards his family and how he desperately wants to keep them in-tact. Without this symbolism in the story, the story would not be as effective because it wouldn’t show the audience the key elements they need to fully understand it. Wolff’s story discusses the challenge of a family that is broken and attempting to be mended back together, similar to my own challenge with standing up to bullies. …show more content…

Hence, even if they haven’t gone through the exact situation portrayed in the story, they will understand the viewpoint of Tobias as well as the dad. Tobias understands that by driving through the snow storm his dad is risking his life. However, his dad does it so that he can show his dedication to his family and to Tobias’s mother. The dad just wants to keep his family and doesn’t want Tobias’s mom to leave him. Thus, the ski trip is symbolic because it is the glue that holds the family together. The audience will identify with this because other circumstances for them could be the glue. For example, if they took a family vacation to the Bahamas, and it brought their family closer together, then this is the glue that held them

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